Did 'Civil War' Reveal Why Tony Stark Is Mentoring Peter Parker?

Professional Geek and Charmer. I mean c'mon, look at that hat and youthful smile

Most Marvel fans would agree that Captain America: Civil War was one the best, if not the best, MCU movies to come out in the franchise. It was exciting, funny and dramatic as hell. However, the big grab for most audience members was the introduction of Spider-Man.

The film introduced an entertaining mentor/mentee relationship where #TonyStark took Peter Parker under his wing, built him a more functional Spider suit and is currently teaching him to be a better superhero. We're going to be seeing more of this relationship in the upcoming #SpiderManHomecoming.

However, did Captain America: Civil War reveal why Tony Stark decided to mentor — maybe even try to become a father figure to — this teenager?

In one scene, Stark and Steve Rogers are talking after the commotion of chasing down Winter Soldier and Black Panther when Rogers brings up Pepper Potts. He simply asks if she's around, and Stark drops the bomb, revealing that they're on a "break."

Stark then continues explaining that Potts wanted him to hang up his Iron Man suit and settle down, while Stark simply did not want to stop, even after destroying all his suits in Iron Man 3. Even when Rogers slyly asks if Pepper's pregnant, Stark gives a very exaggerated response as if he's heard that spiel over and over again.

Could it be that Stark isn't ready to call it quits with Potts? Could Stark be trying his hand at mentoring, or fathering, #PeterParker before trying to get back together with Pepper? It could be that he wants to show that he's ready for the responsibility of starting a family and try to convince Pepper that he still wants to be with her.

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in 'Iron Man' [Credit: Marvel Studios]

We saw in Iron Man 3 that Stark does genuinely love her and that any harm to her would cause him distress or panic. Even seeing her name during a science expo in Civil War brought up some emotions for him.

We're also see Stark pulling actual "Dad" moves on Parker in the Homecoming trailers by giving him advice, balling him out when he screws up, punishing him for not following his instructions, and even worrying about his safety.

Marvel has yet to renew Gwyneth Paltrow's contract — which ended after Iron Man 3 — but during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actress has expressed interest in reprising her role:

"My fingers are crossed. I would love to be Pepper Potts again at some point in my life."

[Credit: Marvel Studios]

In another interview with Empire, Paltrow even expressed hoping to work with Robert Downey Jr. again:

"I'd be open to more Pepper because I love working with Robert [Downey Jr.] and it's a great franchise."

Paltrow even expressed hope to be included in Captain America: Civil War, crossing her fingers to play the character once again. So, the building blocks are there, and the actress has even shown great enthusiasm to play the character again. The only question is: Will Marvel renew Paltrow's contract?